Dirty Tackle

League of Ireland players warned they will be sent off if they relieve themselves ‘in the open’

One of these Shamrock Rovers players is thinking about taking a leak. Try to guess which one. (Getty)

Cricket has become slightly more interesting in recent weeks thanks to a urine-related scandal: the England team have been forced to issue an apology after several beer-fuelled players were caught going number one on the field at the Oval during a celebration of their Ashes victory over Australia.

Al fresco peeing has also become an issue in the League of Ireland, with the Irish Independent publishing a directive sent to all 20 clubs on Friday. It says that players who treat the field as a giant urinal will be sent for an early shower (nothing is said about whether they face consequences for taking a wizz during that shower):

"We have been advised by the referee representatives that there have been a number of instances this season where players (including substitutes) have been found to be urinating in the open rather than availing of the toilet facilities," read the statement.

"Please note that referees have been instructed to issue a red card and/or removal from the technical area of any player, substitute or member of the technical staff found to be offending in this manner."

It seems odd that a directive like this suddenly became a priority for the Airtricity League, but former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has shown that the pee-pee problem is more common than you would imagine...